Thirty (30) students who will be taking part in the first Essence Communications? dailyEXPRESS Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition have been taken through an orientation program to prepare them and also boost their confidence ahead of the competition.

It also exposed the children to the content, word structure and rules of the competition and what they should brace themselves for. The Ghana finals will take place on March 22, 2008 with the winner joining thousands of contestants from around the world at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee Finals in the United States.

The 30 finalists are from the Association International School, American International School, Christ the King School, SOS Tema, Mary Mother of Good Counsel and Ghana International School.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is open to school kids aged between 9 and 15, and according to the organizers, it will encourage reading, promote healthy competition among schools and the children, help the children improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

Chief Executive Essence Communication, co-owners of the franchise with the dailyEXPRESS Newspaper, Eugenia Appiah urged the students to take their studies seriously in order to build enough vocabulary before the final in the United States. She said children who take part in the competition in the US are no different from them, adding that they can equally go far if they read to broaden their horizon.

The contest known as the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee (SHNSB) competition is the USA's biggest and longest running educational promotion opened to all English-speaking countries around the world.

The acquisition of the franchise by the dailyEXPRESS and Essence Communications makes Ghana the only African country participating in the competition this year.

The winner of the Ghana finals will in addition to an all expenses paid trip to participate in the international finals, also receive $500 spending money, Gh?l,000 educational fund, Gh?300 fund to support the school?s library and an engraved plaque of participation. The winners and the school will each receive a DStv decoder.

The competition is supported by tiGO, the Junior Graphic Newspaper, Tv3, Fidelity Bank, Multichoice Ghana, National Lottery Authority, North American Airlines and JoyFM.